At just 21 years of age, Lakshmi Hattithele has created history by becoming the youngest-ever corporator elected to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). A fifth-semester BA Psychology student, Lakshmi contested on a BJP ticket from Prabhag 5-A and secured a convincing win after a dramatic counting process.
Lakshmi trailed her rival for the first 12 rounds of counting, with defeat seeming likely. However, the tide turned in the 13th round when she took a narrow lead of 181 votes. She continued to build on the momentum and eventually won the election by a margin of 1,024 votes.
Lakshmi comes from a family with a strong political background. She is the daughter of late Raju Hattithele and Durga Hattithele, both former NMC corporators. Her victory marks a new chapter for the family, which had earlier faced setbacks after her mother was disqualified over caste certificate issues.
After her win, Lakshmi thanked voters for their support, especially young voters. “I am grateful to the people, particularly the Gen Z voters, who came out and supported me. I will work sincerely to meet the expectations of the party and the citizens,” she said.
Her election is being seen as a sign of growing participation of young leaders in local governance.
AIMIM’s Alisha Khan scores upset win
In another notable result, AIMIM candidate Alisha Khan (29) registered an upset victory in Prabhag 3D of Yashodhara Nagar under the Ashi Nagar zone. Contesting her first election, Alisha defeated BJP’s senior candidate Bhagyashree Kantode by nearly 1,900 votes.
Alisha secured 9,455 votes, while Kantode polled 7,580. Her win comes amid personal challenges, as her husband Fahim is the main accused in the March 2025 Mahal riots case. Following the incident, the family’s house in Sanjay Bagh Colony was demolished by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, an action the family has described as illegal.
Observers say Alisha Khan’s victory highlights how public sympathy and perceptions of injustice can influence voter sentiment and electoral outcomes.
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